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Word Search Maker,
free printable puzzles with an answer key.
Use this free word search maker to turn any word list into a printable puzzle. Choose the grid size and which directions words may run, including diagonals and backwards, then print the puzzle and its answer key or download them as an image.
Interactive
Word Search Maker
12 words ready
Grid size15×15
Columns (width)
Rows (height)
Directions words can run
Arrows show the way a word reads. Left, up and the up-left and down-left diagonals read backwards.
The same code and settings always give the same puzzle, so you can recreate it later.
15×15 grid · 12 words hidden · puzzle code tidepool
Where each word isrows and columns count from the top-left
- DOLPHIN · row 9, column 4, reading right
- OCTOPUS · row 5, column 1, reading down
- SEAHORSE · row 4, column 12, reading down
- STARFISH · row 2, column 5, reading right
- JELLYFISH · row 8, column 2, reading right
- TURTLE · row 10, column 5, reading right
- SHARK · row 1, column 1, reading right
- WHALE · row 3, column 11, reading down
- CRAB · row 2, column 15, reading down
- CORAL · row 14, column 9, reading right
- LOBSTER · row 12, column 5, reading right
- SEAL · row 15, column 5, reading right
Text version of the puzzlefor screen readers and copying
S H A R K Q Y L V A L Z J R H N S U U S T A R F I S H F A C X D N C D J V E Z G W J Q J R L M I E C H Q N J M H S Z J A O Y N X N F E U J U A E O H B C T Q G U O R H A E L A H U K T N D C M N G D O P E H F Y F O J E L L Y F I S H M O H M Q P C B D O L P H I N R R C R B U Z V H T U R T L E M S C U U S Y K Q Y C Q J A E C E U J Z R W O G L O B S T E R S P J G G C U I D Y Z A A J F J A E C U Z U L M D R R C O R A L A G P X I T S E A L H Q S C K X Y
Find: DOLPHIN, OCTOPUS, SEAHORSE, STARFISH, JELLYFISH, TURTLE, SHARK, WHALE, CRAB, CORAL, LOBSTER, SEAL
Field guide
How to make a word search.
A word search maker hides your words inside a grid of random letters and gives you the matching answer key. This one works from any list, from a classroom spelling list to the names on a party guest list, and everything it produces is ready to print or save.
Making a puzzle in four steps
- Enter your words. Type one per line or separate them with commas. A phrase such as “ice cream” keeps its space in the list and becomes ICECREAM in the grid. Accents are folded to plain letters, and entries with digits are skipped.
- Pick the grid size and the directions words may take.
- Press Make word search, then check the result. Choose New random puzzle for a different arrangement of the same words.
- Print or download the puzzle, the answer key, or both.
Choosing the grid size
A puzzle feels balanced when the letters of your words fill about a third of the grid. Much less and the words are easy to spot, much more and the grid feels crowded. Every word also has to fit: a nine-letter word needs a grid at least nine squares wide or tall, and a diagonal needs nine in both directions.
Directions and difficulty
Easy runs words right and down, which suits young readers. Medium adds the two forward diagonals. Hard allows all eight directions, so words can read backwards. Two settings change the feel further. Letting words cross packs more into a small grid, and the harder fill draws the spare letters only from your own words, so nothing stands out.
How the puzzle is built
Words are placed longest first. For each one the maker lists every legal position and direction, then picks one at random using the puzzle code as the seed. Empty squares are filled with letters that never complete a second copy of a word. A final scan checks all eight directions, and if anything slipped through, the grid is rebuilt. Because the seed drives every choice, the same code and settings always return the same puzzle.
Worked example
Take eight space words: planet, rocket, orbit, comet, galaxy, saturn, meteor and nebula. They hold 46 letters. A 12×12 grid has 144 squares, so the letters fill about 32 percent, a comfortable density. With the medium preset the words run right, down and along the forward diagonals. Switch to the answer key and each word shows as a highlighted band, with the other letters greyed out.
Printing, the answer key and saving
Print puzzle sends the current sheet to your printer, and Print both puts the puzzle on page one and the key on page two. The sheet is drawn as vector graphics, so it stays sharp at any size. The PNG and SVG buttons save the visible view as a file, and Copy text puts a plain letter grid and word list on your clipboard.
Tips for a better puzzle
- Mix word lengths. A grid of words that are all six letters long is easy to scan. A blend of short and long words hides better.
- Avoid word pairs where one contains the other. “Play” and “player” both appear on the same line, so play can be found twice.
- Use a smaller grid for young children. A 10×10 grid prints with larger letters than a 20×20 one on the same page.
- Pick a theme. Spelling lists, vocabulary, holidays, team names and party guests all make good puzzles.
Disclaimer
This tool is for personal and classroom use, and puzzles are generated automatically. Random filler letters occasionally spell short unintended words, and the duplicate check covers only the words on your list, so look the puzzle over before you hand it to students or children.